{"id":76796,"date":"2021-01-14T16:54:39","date_gmt":"2021-01-14T11:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=76796"},"modified":"2021-01-14T19:07:49","modified_gmt":"2021-01-14T13:37:49","slug":"importance-of-reviving-saarc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/importance-of-reviving-saarc\/","title":{"rendered":"Importance of Reviving SAARC"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Synopsis-<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">SAARC has become dysfunctional and not able to meet since\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">las 6 years<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Reviving SAARC is crucial\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">for\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">counter<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ing<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0common challenge<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">s in the region<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, amid COVID pandemic<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Introduction<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of nations in South Asia founded in 1985 with 7 member nations.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The group was established to promote regional economic growth through active collaboration. But in past years there has been deadlock type condition especially due to India-Pakistan conflict. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In 2016, the Summit schedule in Pakistan got canceled in the backdrop of the terrorist attack in <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pathankot<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and Uri.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Since\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">then,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0no SAARC meeting has been held.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Why SAARC failed?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> last physical SAARC summit was held in 2014 and subsequently, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">summits<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0could not be held after\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">that<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">T<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">he reasons for a dysfunctional SAARC<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0are;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"6\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">First,<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">India-Pakistan bilateral relation<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">s<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8211;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Enmity between India and Pakistan is one of the main reas<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ons why SAARC is not prospering. This long-standing conflict has impacted other meeting of SAARC as well, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">making it easier for member countries, as well as international agencies, to deal with South Asia as a fragmented group<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"6\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Second<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the novel coronavirus pandemic<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202fand\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">China\u2019s aggressions<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0at the Line of Actual Control (LAC)\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">put<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0a new spotlight and shadows for SAARC meeting.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">India\u2019s position on not attending SAARC is particularly confusing<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0has been\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">attending SCO meeting even after clashes with China and engaged with Nepal<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0even after boundary related issues.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Why reviving<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0SAARC can be helpful in countering the common challenges<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"10\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pandemic Challenges<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8211;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"3\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">First,<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">South Asia\u2019s experience of the pandemic has been very unique.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The COVID-19 has provided a window for introspection and for scaling up preparedness for inevitable pandemics in the future.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"3\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Second, a <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Collaborative\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">approach is also necessary for the distribution a<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">nd further<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> trials needs for the vaccine as we<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ll\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">as developing cold storage chain.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"3\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Third,<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">he pandemic\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">impact on South Asian economies<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The economic consequences of COVID -19 on South Asia are proving to be even greater than<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0the health Challenges in the region.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"10\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">C<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">hina\u2019s Factor in SAARC<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Amid<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202fIndia- China border tensions,\u202fas part of its global expansionism,\u202fChina is chipping away at India\u2019s interests in South Asia, a\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">unified South Asian platform remains India\u2019s most potent countermeasure.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"11\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">China expanding footprints in South Asia by investments in trade, tourism, BRI, and other programs should be given <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">attention<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. All <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">SAARC<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0members\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">except Bhutan<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, are <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202fpartners of China will be hard placed to help individually.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"11\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Only a matter of time before china, it may hold a meeting of all SAARC cou<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ntries\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">except minus<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0India and Bhutan<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202ffor they are all part of the BRI, and even that they will be invited to join RCEP, which India declined.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Way forward<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"13\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To make SAARC more effective the organization must be reformed and member countries must reach a consensus regarding the changes required.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"13\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The tragedy of Covid-19\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">provided<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0an opportunity for India to demonstrate its compassionate face to secure a region at peace with itself<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"13\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">n dealing with the challenge from China too, both at India\u2019s borders and in its\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">neighborhood<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a unified South Asian platform remains India\u2019s most potent countermeasure.\u202f<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Synopsis-\u00a0SAARC has become dysfunctional and not able to meet since\u00a0las 6 years.\u00a0Reviving SAARC is crucial\u00a0for\u00a0countering\u00a0common challenges in the region, amid COVID pandemic.\u00a0 Introduction\u00a0 The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of nations in South Asia founded in 1985 with 7 member nations.\u00a0 The group was established&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/importance-of-reviving-saarc\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Importance of Reviving SAARC<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":76805,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[1474,1333,1457,1420],"class_list":["post-76796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-foreign_policy_india","tag-ir_0","tag-ir_02","tag-ir_3","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Importance-of-Reviving-SAARC.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","views":{"total":100,"cached_at":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76796"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76796\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}